Surrender
by SwanQueenShipper88
Summary: [Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence] Just something I've been playing around with in my mind, based on snippets of images and gifs that occasionally pop up here and there on Tumblr… Regina and Emma's relationship took an unexpected turn as one of their "heated discussions" escalated in a bad way. Reviews are welcome!
1. Chapter 1: You Deserve Better

All of the characters belong to ABC/Disney/Once Upon A Time. I am just writing this for fun.

**_Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence_**

Just something I've been playing around with in my mind, based on snippets of images and gifs that occasionally pop up here and there on Tumblr…

**Chapter 1: You Deserve Better**

Regina found herself arguing with her lover next to a barn in a clearing in the woods. The peaceful chirping of crickets served as a stark contrast to the mood in which the two lovers were. Disappointment had been happening too many times lately in their relationship. What should have been a romantic, evening stroll along a path in the woods, turned into another inevitable moment of bickering. For the life of her, Regina could not even figure out the moment when the conversation shifted. It always seemed before she realized it, she and Emma were arguing, again. Moreover, Emma's comments ticked her off, again.

Regina had it for the last time with Emma's smart-alecky remarks trivializing their issues, but before she knew it she was lunging at her girlfriend. Emma, having grown up in foster care, switched into her defense mode and gave it right back to Regina. As she slammed Regina against the wall, she yelled, "Don't you _EVER_ do that again!"

Regina replied in a soft, shaky voice, "You're scaring me."

Emma spoke through clenched teeth, "_You_ did this."

Emma was still breathing hard reeling off the sudden rush of adrenaline. Regina, seemingly stunned into silence, found herself at a loss for words. As angry as Emma was at Regina for putting her hands on her, she could not stand the thought of something happening to Regina if she let her make her way home alone. Ironically, it occurred to her that the most dangerous threat to Regina at the present moment was her. She looked down and sighed, "I'll walk you home."

They made their walk to Regina's home in painful silence. Once they arrived at Regina's front door, Regina asked Emma, "What are we going to do? What _should_ we do?'

Emma answered, "I think we should take some time and space away from each other."

Regina lashed out anger, "Just for that ONE time!?"

Emma, disappointed, replied, "I can't do this right now. I can't," and began to walk away.

Regina called after her, "No wait, I'm sorry. Please don't go. We said we wouldn't go to bed angry, right?"

Emma stopped in her tracks and made the mistake of looking into Regina's eyes. Against her better judgment, she turned around and gave a sad effort of a smile to Regina. They both made their way inside.

Regina and Emma's footsteps and the door shutting were the only sounds. The house was unusually quiet as Henry was staying with the Charming's for the weekend. Emma simply tossed her jacket over the arm of the sofa and plopped down next to it. Regina hung up her jacket in the closet and sat down on the opposite side of the sofa. She began wringing her hands with nervous energy, looking for the right words to say. Regina was too ashamed to look her in the eyes. She never imagined she was capable of physically harming the one she loves. Her voice broke as she simply said, "I'm sorry," and started sobbing.

Emma slid next to her and replied, "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have provoked you. And I certainly shouldn't have retaliated."

Regina halted in her crying as she had a flashback to her father saying something along those lines to her mother after her mother struck him with her hands for the countless time. Emma sensed the change in her lover. Regina was able to sit up and look Emma in the eyes that time. "Emma, regardless of whatever words come out of your mouth, you don't deserve another human being hurting you. Don't you ever say or think that again. You don't deserve me, but, if you give me a chance, I'd very much like to try and make it up to you."


	2. Chapter 2: Attempting a Fresh Start

None of the characters are my own.

**Surrender Chapter 2: Attempting a Fresh Start**

"_Emma, regardless of whatever words come out of your mouth, you don't deserve another human being hurting you. Don't you ever say or think that again. You don't deserve me, but, if you give me a chance, I'd very much like to try and make it up to you."_

Emma remained silent as she contemplated whether there was a chance she and Regina were making a bigger deal out of the situation than what it really was. The mere fact that she was referring to it as "the situation" indicated they were not. Much to her chagrin, she came to the same conclusion she arrived at moments earlier out of anger: she and Regina should take a break. Never having been one to be in lasting relationships, she was not even sure if she knew what "taking a break" meant. Emma sighed and turned to face Regina. She told her, "I don't want to break up with you. However, we can't be together—not like this." Emma hesitated for a beat before continuing, "Maybe we can call Dr. Hopper in the morning?"

Regina nodded her head in agreement and replied, "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. For now," Regina patted the armrest of the sofa, "I'd feel more comfortable sleeping on this old thing for the night. I guess you could call it putting myself in the doghouse."

Emma would have actually felt more comfortable with Regina sleeping next to her in the master bedroom, but, not surprisingly, she was no mood to argue with the brunette. Emma rose to her feet and told Regina, "Okay, it's a deal. Well I have a few case notes I wanted to look over again before going to sleep," and, with that said, she walked to the den to retrieve the case file.

Regina padded her way up the wooden staircase to her room to change into her pajamas. She normally avoided wearing her flannel set to bed like the plague, but considering she would be downstairs for the night, she figured wearing her warmest pair of pajamas would be wise. As she removed her earrings, she studied her reflection in her dresser mirror. She discovered she could not handle facing herself after what she had done to Emma earlier and began to sob. Looking in the mirror, all she saw was the image of her mother. She suddenly heard Emma make her way up the steps and immediately rushed to her bathroom to remove her makeup. The last thing she wanted in that moment was for Emma to see her crying again.

Emma made her way into the bedroom and starting stripping herself of the clothes from that day. Feeling to lazy to pick out something just sleep in, she opted to sleep in the tank she was already wearing under her blazer and her underwear. After she snuggled under the sheets, she spoke loud enough so Regina could hear her from the bathroom, "You can cut the lights out whenever you're finished. I'm going to sleep now."

Regina was grateful Emma would get a good look at her face in the light. Even though she removed the evidence of her tears, the mascara, she was certain Emma could still tell if she had been crying again. The last thing she felt she deserved was Emma's comfort. She walked to cut the lights off in the bedroom and told Emma, "Goodnight," before shutting the door behind her. She grabbed a blanket and an extra pillow out of the hall closet and made her way down the stairs.

Saturday morning, Regina awoke with the sunlight that came streaming into the living room through the blinds and sheers. Regina quietly made her way up the stairs to freshen herself up in the bathroom. Fortunately, Emma sleeps like a bear and can seemingly hibernate through the loudest of noises. After she made her way back downstairs, she grabbed the phone in the kitchen to place a call. "Good morning Dr. Hopper. I was hoping I could make an appointment to see you later on this morning. Emma will be there, as well. Yes, 11:00 a.m. works. See you then." She hung up the phone and drummed her finger tips against the counter top.

Still feeling guilty about the previous night's events, she got an idea of what she could do for Emma that morning. She went out into her garden to pick fresh flowers to put in a small vase. Regina remembered a few bits of information from her royal education on the meanings and symbolism of flowers. She decided to pick a few daffodils because they symbolize new beginnings. She was putting a lot of weight on the meeting with Dr. Hopper to be a turning point for the better in their relationship. She stepped back inside the kitchen and began making Emma breakfast. She deiced to make her a bacon, red apple smoked cheese, and spinach omelette. She toasted an English muffin and spread it with apple butter. Knowing that Emma was not really one for coffee or tea, she prepared a pot of hot cocoa from scratch and sprinkled cinnamon on top of the whipped cream just the way she likes it. She neatly puts Emma's plated breakfast on the breakfast tray along with the vase of daffodils and carries the tray upstairs to her lover.

Once she was upstairs, Regina discovered Emma was sitting up in bed, looking through the case file again. When Emma saw her, her face broke into a huge grin. Regina told her, "I made breakfast for you. I hope you like it."

Emma immediately noticed the flowers and exclaimed, "Oh, wow! You picked me flowers. Everything looks lovely, and smells great. Thanks so much!"

"Well I just hope I can be the person you deserve to have. You mean the world to me."

"Hey. You mean the world to me, too. As a matter of fact, _you _are my world."

Regina smiled in reply to Emma's statement. "Eat up dear. We have an appointment with Dr. Hopper at eleven this morning. I am going to take my shower now."

Once Emma finished her breakfast, she took her shower then got dressed and ready to go. Emma volunteered to drive, so Regina sat in silence in the passenger side of the yellow Bug. When they arrived and Emma parked the car, she noticed that Regina did not move to get out of the car. Emma looked over and asked, "What's wrong?"

"What if it doesn't work?"

"What if what doesn't work?"

"Meeting with Dr. Hopper, what if it doesn't work?"

Emma reached over and took Regina's left hand in her own, "We'll work through this problem. We'll get through this together."

Regina took a deep breath and squeezed Emma's hand. "Okay, let's go inside now."

Dr. Hopper greeted both women in his office. "So, what brings you two ladies into my office this morning?"


	3. Chapter 3: For the Better

None of the characters are my own.

A/N: This is another short chapter, but I wanted to get something up. Life has me busy at the moment :/

**Surrender Chapter 3: For the Better**

_Dr. Hopper greeted both women in his office. "So, what brings you two ladies into my office this morning?"_

Dr. Hopper sat down at his desk and gestured for Emma and Regina to take the two seats across from him. As soon as they all took their seats, Regina began wringing her hands. Emma reached over to clasp Regina's right hand and gave her a squeeze of assurance. Emma spoke first, "There was an incident last night."

Dr. Hopper asked, "What sort of incident?"

"I did something terrible," Regina answered.

"What did you do that was 'terrible'?" he asked.

Regina's voice cracked as she continued speaking, "I hurt Emma."

Dr. Hopper put down the pen he was using to take notes and asked, "How did you hurt Emma?"

Regina answered with rushed speech, "We were arguing, and I don't know what happened. It was like something in me snapped, and I just hit her. I didn't mean to do it."

Emma interjected, "In her defense, I provoked her and physically retaliated."

Regina turned to look at Emma and said, "But you didn't deserve it, and you were acting out of instinct because of me. You did that because of my actions."

Dr. Harper leaned forward and asked, "Where was Henry when this took place?"

"Henry is at his grandparents' for the weekend. He was there," Emma supplied.

"We would never argue in front of our son," Regina said.

Dr. Hopper nodded his head and replied, "I see. Has this type of thing ever happened before?"

Both women answered, "No."

Dr. Harper sighed, sat up and removed his glasses. He carefully chose his next words. "There are a couple of different matters I need to express. First, it is my professional opinion that until you two work on your own problems individually, couples therapy at this point would actually do more harm than good. I will agree to see you each individually if you would like. If I see the both of you, I will maintain your confidentiality even with each other. Regina, you will not know what is discussed in Emma's sessions and vice versa."

"Our own problems?" Emma asked.

"Yes. Particularly, Regina's sessions would focus on anger management and identifying her triggers. Emma yours would center on what sounds like codependency in what recently has become an abusive relationship."

Emma looked perplexed. "I'm sorry, co-de-what? And Regina isn't abusive; it only happened that one time. As a matter of fact she made me breakfast this morning."

Regina spoke, "Emma, I think we should listen to Dr. Hopper. He wouldn't make this suggestion if he didn't think it was in our best interest." She asked Dr. Hopper, "You said there were a couple of 'matters' you needed to tell us. What's the second?"

"You are probably not going to want to hear what I am about to say," he prefaced. "Until you progress in therapy, I think you two should spend some time apart. Your physical safety and emotional wellbeing takes priority."

"Do you still agree with him Regina?" Emma asked her in a quiet voice. Although the previous night she, herself, concluded they should spend some time apart, she still wanted to hear what Regina had to say about it.

"Yes, I do," Regina answered. "I don't even know what came over me last night. How can I guarantee your safety if I don't even know what happened for me to do that in the first place?"

Emma sighed. "I can ask Ruby if she wouldn't mind having a roommate again. We'll need to figure out what to tell Henry," she said.

"Henry will be disappointed I'm sure," Regina responded.

Dr. Hopper spoke, "Henry's disappointment could be a possibility, but think about the example you would be setting for him by working through your problems in a healthy way." Dr. Hopper continued, "And don't forget. This really is for the better."


	4. Chapter 4: Just One More Night

None of the characters are my own.

A/N: I wasn't sure what still constituted as T before being rated MA. So I just stuck with what's implied in PG-13 movies. Meh, whatever lol. Reviews welcome!

**Surrender Chapter 4: Just One More Night**

Emma and Regina rode home in silence. It was not that they did not want to talk, it was just neither of them knew what to say. When they entered their home, Regina was the first to speak. "So I guess you will be getting your things and leaving now?" she asked Emma.

"Actually, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry again," Emma replied walking to the kitchen.

"You're _always_ hungry," Regina laughed joining her in the kitchen. Emma had missed that sound the past few days.

"Well you always do an excellent job of keeping me well fed, in more ways than one."

Regina blushed, "Emma—"

"What if…," Emma hesitated, "What if we spent the day together?"

"Emma—"

"We'll spend the rest of the day together and then tonight I'll pack. I'll crash with Ruby tonight. Cross my heart… When my parents drop off Henry tomorrow, I'll meet you guys here so we can talk to him."

Regina began to answer, "I don't know…"

Emma closed the space between her and Regina, brushed her cheek with her hand and whispered, "Just one more day."

"…If this is a good idea," Regina managed to finish.

"Please," Emma whispered again and kissed her.

After the kiss, Regina touched her forehead to Emma's and said, "Okay, just one more day."

Appreciating her answer, Emma's lips found Regina's once more. Emma grabbed Regina's hand to lead her upstairs. "What are we doing? I thought you were hungry," she said while following Emma.

"My appetite suddenly changed. I'm not sure how long our 'break' from each other is going to last, so we're giving each other a proper goodbye."

The lust Regina saw in Emma's eyes made her gasp, "Lead the way Ms. Swan."

Once Regina and Emma reached Regina's room, Regina pushed Emma against the bedroom door in a passionate kiss. Emma fought to regain control of the situation and pushed Regina until the backs of her legs touched the edge of the bed. Suddenly Regina turned them around and before Emma knew it, Regina pushed her down on the bed. Regina slowly stalked Emma's body until she straddled her legs on either side of Emma's waist. Regina broke their kiss to sit up and slowly and tauntingly began to unbutton her blouse. Emma, tired of waiting, sat up and ripped off Regina's shirt and buttons went flying. Regina told her, "You'll pay for that."

"Oh, I intend to," Emma replied.

Emma helped Regina tug her pants down her legs. She flipped them again so she could rush and undress. They spent the rest of their morning and a good part of the afternoon making love.

Emma woke up to discover she and Regina must have fallen asleep during their after-sex chatter. The reality of the last couple of days ran through her mind, and she sighed knowing her looming task. After all, she gave Regina her word. She got out of bed and crossed the room to the walk-in closet to retrieve her duffel bag. As she started to open drawers of the dresser to pack, Regina stirred. Emma did not stop to turn and look at her. She knew if she looked into her eyes, she would not have the strength to keep packing. When she heard Regina get out of the bed and pad her way towards her, she started to stuff her bag quickly with whatever articles of clothing she could get her hands on. Regina walked up behind her and grabbed her hips. Regina whispered in her right ear, "I'm going to miss this ear," and began to nibble on it.

Emma froze and said, "I need to pack."

"I'm just saying goodbye to your ear. Next is your neck," Regina began kissing her neck and she moaned. "I'm going to miss your neck."

Emma dropped her bag and looked at their reflection in the mirror above the dresser and asked, "Just one more night?"

Regina looked up and replied, "Just one more night."


	5. Chapter 5: If Only It Was That Simple

The characters are not my own.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Sorry this update took me A LOT longer to do than expected. My goal is to update at least once a week from here on out… I'll see how that goes. (No beta, so all mistakes are my own.)

**Surrender Chapter 5: If Only It Was That Simple**

Regina and Emma spent Saturday evening having dinner and then continuing their love fest they started that afternoon. When Sunday morning arrived, neither of them wanted to get out of bed. "We need to figure out what to tell Henry. He will be here soon," Regina said.

"I don't think he needs to know the details. We'll tell him," Emma paused to choose her words carefully. "We'll tell him our relationship was becoming unhealthy, so we have to separate to work on ourselves before getting back together. Wait, is that too wordy?"

"For a 10-year-old he's clever. Don't you think he'll wonder why we aren't working through this together and going to couples counseling?"

"Well we'll be doing couples counseling eventually. We just need an extra step, or something," Emma frowned.

Regina teared up, "I feel like I'm breaking up our family. This is all my fault."

Emma reached across to wipe away some of Regina's tears and said, "Hey, it takes two to tango remember? And our family is not breaking up. I will still be in Henry's life and spend time with him. Eventually, when we're ready, we'll be back together again. You have to admit, what happened Friday set aside, our arguments were getting out of hand."

"You're right, they were."

"How about you go ahead and take your shower. You'll feel better."

"Perhaps. At any rate, I do need to get my day started."

While Regina took her shower, Emma got up and found her bag still in the same spot she dropped it yesterday. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand to dial Ruby while she packed. "Hey Ruby, it's me."

"_Hey Em! Is everything okay?" _Ruby asked her.

"Not exactly. Can I crash on your sofa for the next couple of nights until I can figure out a more permanent arrangement somewhere?"

"_Yes, of course. Mi casa es su casa. What happened?"_

"Mind if I explain later?"

"_You know my ears are just burning to know, but I suppose I can wait."  
_

"See you tonight?"

"_Yep, I'll be here."_

"Thanks Rubes," Emma sighed and hung up her phone. All she had left to pack were her toiletries.

* * *

Once Regina was done getting ready, Emma took her turn in the bathroom. The warm water from the shower did help her calm down a bit, although it did not stop her from being anxious at the thought of having to tell her son about their new living arrangements. Regina padded her way down the stairs to busy herself with straightening and rearranging items in the living room that were already in immaculate order. Normally, she would have fixed her and Emma breakfast, but something told her Emma would be in no more of a mood to eat than she was—even if the blonde was virtually always hungry. A few minutes later the doorbell rang. She opened the door and was immediately greeted, "Hi Mom! Did you miss me?" Henry beamed at her as they embraced each other in a hug.

"You bet I did. Hello David and Mary Margaret. Thanks for keeping him for the weekend," she told her girlfriend's parents.

"No problem at all," David responded.

"It was our pleasure," Mary Margaret added.

"Hey Mom, they got me a new video game. Can I go try it out?" Henry asked.

"Go ride on ahead," and no sooner than the words were out of her mouth, Henry was bounding up the stairs. "And no running," she called after him.

Mary Margaret cleared her throat, "Is Emma around? We were hoping to say hello before we stepped out."

"I'm right here," Emma said as she walked down the steps. "How was he?"

"He was good as always. Is everything okay?" Mary Margaret asked her as she noticed something seemed not quite right with her daughter.

"No, but everything will be okay. We'll talk later? Please," Emma looked at her mother pleadingly.

David piped up, "Honey, whatever it is, Emma will tell us when she's ready," he said attempting to steer Mary Margaret back towards the door.

Suddenly Mary Margaret stopped mid-stride and turned around. Looking directly into Regina's eyes she said, "If you do or did anything to hurt my daughter, you will regret it," and then she walked out the door. David shrugged an apology and followed her out and shut the door behind him.

Emma told Regina, "Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize. She's right you know."

"How's that?"

"I hurt you, and I regret it," she said looking directly into Emma's eyes. Before Emma could respond, she quickly added, "Let's go talk to our son."

They reached Henry's room, and Regina gently knocked on the door. "How's the video game?"

He paused the game, "It's fun! It's a little tricky until you get the hang of it."

Regina sat down next to Henry on the foot of his bed and Emma chose to stay standing near the doorway. "Emma and I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay," he said looking confused.

"You already know Emma and I love you and there is nothing in this world that can changed that."

"Yes, I know. What's up?" he asked laying the game controller on the bed.

"Kid," Emma sighed, "your mom and I have to separate for a while."

Regina continued the explanation, "Our relationship was becoming unhealthy, so now we need to work on ourselves before we can get back together."

"Is this about when you guys argue all the time lately? Can't you just stop?"

"I wish to goodness we could. I wish it was that simple," Regina told him.

"We just need some time apart to figure some things out. I'm going to go back to rooming with Ruby in the meantime," Emma said.

"Wait, do I have to go live somewhere else?"

"No, sweetie. You are not going anywhere. You will stay and live here as before," Regina answered.

"And I will still be there for you. Your mom and I will figure out an arrangement of when you and I will spend time together. Until then, I think it's best if you stay here," Emma said.

"When are you leaving?"

"This afternoon."

"I don't want you to," he said.

"Neither do we Henry, but it's in everyone's best interest." Regina looked up from Henry to Emma and added, "Walking on eggshells is no way to live."

Henry got up and hugged Emma, "Even though I'll see you, I am going to miss you."

Emma kissed the top of his head, "I'm going to miss you, too, kid."

He stepped back and quietly asked, "Can I be alone? I'd like to get back to playing my game now."

Emma and Regina stepped out into the hallway, and Regina closed the door behind them.


End file.
